Diabetes Mellitus

An individual who is experiencing this state would exhibit signs of gradual infection due to stressors or decrease fluid intake, altered central nervous system function with altered level of consciousness, increased thirst, increased uriniation, high fever, drowsiness, headache, restlessness, visual problems, and hallucinations. When treating this condition, an IV with half normal saline with regular insulin is used to correct electrolyte deficit. Unfortuantely, diabetes mellitus can create further health complication that can be life threatening. The most common complication is cardiovascular disease. MI is the leading cause of death among diabetes patients.

This unwanted disease works its way into even the strongest of people who have had no symptoms. Even with a healthy lifestyle, can diabetes become preventable? Diabetes can be caused by too little insulin, resistance to insulin, or both. “Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas to control blood sugar.” People need insulin to survive. People with high blood sugar normally have diabetes because their pancreas does not make enough insulin, their muscle, fat, and liver cells do not respond to insulin.

High blood sugar can damage nerves and blood vessels. It can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, dental disease, and amputations. One with diabetes can also be more apt to get other diseases, depression, and have issues with pregnancy. (NDIC, 2011) Today there are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 is usually caused by one not having enough insulin.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Sugar is the basic fuel for the cells in the body, and insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems: •     Right away, your cells may be starved for energy. •     Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.

In Type II diabetes, three types of problems can occur such as high blood glucose, low blood glucose, and complicati... ... middle of paper ... ...with diabetes have blood sugar problems, meal planning for sugar control, and excising is just one method of treatment for diabetes. But sometimes, these treatments are not enough to help out with the problems. The next step is to take medicine. These methods are: oral medicine such as pills or insulin shots. However, people with type 1 diabetes don’t produce any insulin for the glucose to pass into a cell, therefore they can’t take any oral medication and insulin shots are their only way to keep blood sugar levels down.

Both types are very different. Type I Diabetes is known as juvenile diabetes because it most commonly diagnosed and begins at adolescence. In this form, little or no insulin is produced by the body. That is also why it is referred to as insulin dependent, because people need to receive daily injections of insulin. In Type II Diabetes, enough insulin is produced by the pancreas, but the cells don’t work effectively because they have become insulin resistant.

People who are at risk for type 1 are those who have a family history of the disease, those of age twenty and younger, and Caucasians. Diabetes strikes all races, but is more common among whites. Type 2 usually develops after the age of forty. This affects ninety to ninety-five percent of Americans with diabetes. Type 2 diabetics produce insulin, but the cells in the body are "insulin resistant".

Diabetes is a familiar health problem that affects millions of people world wide. Diabetes results from the failure of the pancreas to produce a sufficient amount of insulin. Insulin is the hormone that regulates the body's use of glucose. Therefore, the excess gluce remains in the bloodstream and passes out the body in urine. In some cases, the pancreas produces a sufficient amount of insulin, but the insulin is blocked from the body's cells and cannot be used.

The immune system attacks the insulin producing cells in the pancreas resulting into hormone deficit. This means that individuals with type one diabetes mellitus have to be supplemented with insulin as failure to supplement may lead to death. Type two is characterized by high levels of blood glucose which is referred to as hyperglycemia. It is the most common type of diabetes accounting for 90 to 95 % of diabetic cases. Gestational diabetes affects pregnant mothers and is known to disappear after birth.

The Effects of Genetic and Environmental Factors on Type 1 Diabetes Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder, in which the pancreas does not produce insulin. It usually begins in childhood or adolescence. In Type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system destroys beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts sugar, starches, and food into energy. Without insulin, blood glucose levels become too high, which is known as hyperglycemia.